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TV buffs, the wait is finally over. HBO Max has finally launched in the UK, and it couldn’t come at a better time. After waiting years to subscribe, millions of UK viewers can now stream recent Oscar-winning films One Battle After Another and Sinners this very moment, and the Harry Potter TV show will be coming to the platform this Christmas.
The streaming service’s UK launch has been six years in the making. The final country in Europe to get access to the streamer, HBO Max is home to multi-award-winning shows such as Succession, The White Lotus, The Last of Us and Game of Thrones, and it’s the only place where you can stream the high-stress medical drama The Pitt.
So how much does it cost, what shows and films will I be watching first, and what happens to those who already have a Sky package or a Now subscription? Here’s everything you need to know about HBO Max’s UK launch and how you can subscribe right now.
Read more: All the Harry Potter films are coming to this UK streaming platform
HBO Max has launched in the UK
- How to subscribe to HBO Max in the UK
- How to get HBO Max if you already have Sky and Now TV
- You can get Sky TV, HBO Max, Disney+ and Netflix for just £22 per month
- How to get HBO Max on Virgin Media
- The trailer for the Harry Potter TV series just dropped
- HBO's The Pitt is the show to stream first
Now and Sky customers don't need to take out a separate HBO Max subscription
11:11 , Alex LeeQuick reminder: you don’t necessarily need to take out a separate HBO Max subscription to watch it in the UK.
Now entertainment subscribers now get HBO Max with ads included automatically, with no extra cost and no sign-up needed. HBO Max is already built into the Now app.
Sky customers with an Ultimate TV package also have HBO Max bundled in. It’s accessible via the Sky interface.
New subscribers to the £22 Sky Ultimate package, which comes with Netflix and Disney+, as well as Sky TV, will also be able to take advantage of this perk.
So what’s actually new on HBO Max?
10:11 , Alex LeeIn all honesty, the only new additions to the platform are The Pitt, which was held back for HBO Max’s launch, and every glorious season of Friends.
The best part is: a large chunk of Warner Bros movies are now included as part of the base £4.99 subscription, rather than being locked behind a Sky Cinema package or Cinema Pass package on Now. Movie buffs will have a field trip, but it’s less flush when it comes to new TV shows.
You’ll also need to subscribe to the slightly pricier £5.99 Standard subscription if you want to watch newer blockbuster films such as One Battle After Another and Sinners.
HBO Max UK reactions are a bit...mixed
09:11 , Alex LeeGood morning! We’re now one day on from the HBO Max UK launch and it seems early reactions are a bit...mixed when it comes to the platform’s content slate.
As we know, HBO shows have been tied to Sky for a long while, meaning pretty much everything on HBO Max was already available on Sky, so if you’re an existing customer, the content will look familiar.
Am I missing something with all the hype behind HBO Max finally being available in the UK? Everything’s been available via Now TV the entire time?? pic.twitter.com/ycqtXmcCu2
— Ash🎱🐲 (@House_of_Ash) March 26, 2026
i've never had sky or now so for me it's great and a lot of new stuff but if u do have now it's probs useless lol
— amie (@pap3rfleabag) March 26, 2026
A recap of HBO Max's prices and how you can sign up in the UK
Thursday 26 March 2026 17:35 , Alex LeeThat’s all from me on the liveblog for today. If you missed the news: HBO Max is now available in the UK, and you can get it for free if you already have a Sky or Now entertainment subscription.
Don’t have either? You can subscribe to Sky Ultimate or Now entertainment for access to HBO Max, subscribe to HBO Max directly or subscribe via Amazon Prime Video Channels.
HBO Max starts from £4.99 per month for the basic ad-based tier, but there’s also a standard tier with ads for £5.99, which includes the latest blockbuster films, as well as a standard tier for £9.99, which doesn’t include ads.
Is Sky’s £22 Ultimate TV bundle actually worth it?
Thursday 26 March 2026 17:05 , Alex LeeSky’s new Ultimate TV bundle sounds like a no-brainer. You get Sky TV, Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max and (soon) Heyu, all rolled into one for just £22 per month.
It’s a massive saving. If you add up up all the ad-supported tiers individually, you’re looking at roughly £45 per month, meaning you’re getting all of that for half the price.
The catch? Each subscription is for the ad-supported tier only, so if you don’t like ads, the value proposition isn’t as fantastic as it sounds on paper. The HBO Max ad-supported tier doesn’t get the latest blockbuster films either, so bear that in mind.
If you don’t mind the basic tier with ads for those streamers, then it’s incredibly good value.
Why some HBO shows are missing from HBO Max in the UK
Thursday 26 March 2026 16:35 , Alex LeeIf you’ve noticed that some content is missing from the UK version of HBO Max, you’re not going mad.
As TV critic Scott Bryan points out, it’s all down to HBO’s long-standing deal with Sky. New shows will land on HBO Max, but a chunk of older series are still tied up elsewhere, so they’re staying on Sky (and Now) for now.
Which means, slightly awkwardly, HBO Max doesn’t actually have the full HBO library at launch.
A lot of this is due to existing deal HBO has with Sky - which means new shows will be on HBO Max but some shows from before remaining on Sky. Confusing. https://t.co/G3vVoSFLKG
— Scott Bryan (@scottygb) March 26, 2026
You can get HBO Max with Amazon Prime Video
Thursday 26 March 2026 16:05 , Alex LeeIf you’re already an Amazon Prime Video user, you can just subscribe to HBO Max directly through the platform – no need to download yet another app.
Subscribing this way will mean you can watch everything inside the Prime Video interface, with HBO shows and Warner Bros films sitting alongside Prime Video content in one app.
You can sign up to HBO Max via Prime Video by heading to the Prime Channels section and adding it as a subscription. You can subscribe to basic with ads, standard with ads and the standard without ads tiers here.
You can stream Sinners and One battle After Another on HBO Max right now
Thursday 26 March 2026 15:35 , Alex LeeHBO Max isn’t just home to TV shows, there’s a wealth of films from Warner Bros to watch on the platform as well, including One Battle After Another and Sinners, who’ve just swept the Oscars, you’ll be pleased to hear you can now watch both films on HBO Max with a £5.99 Standard subscription.
You also have the entire Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings film series at your fingertips, alongside other Warner Bros franchises.
‘One Battle After Another’
One of the biggest Oscar winners this year, One Battle After Another took home six Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, the surrealist film follows a former revolutionary forced out of hiding to protect his daughter from a dangerous white supremacist officer.
‘Sinners’
Sinners won four Oscars, including best actor for Michael B Jordan. Directed by Ryan Coogler, the southern gothic horror follows twin brothers who return to their hometown to open a bar, only to find themselves caught up in a growing supernatural threat that begins to take over the community. It’s one of the most talked-about films of the year.
'Euphoria' season 3 begins streaming next month
Thursday 26 March 2026 15:20 , Alex LeeIf you need more convincing, then you’ll be pleased to hear that Euphoria returns for its third season next month and you can start streaming from 12 April.
It’s been four years since we last saw Rue (and her messy, complicated life) on our screens, and the new season is finally on the way. The show catapulted the careers of its young cast, including Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney and Jacob Elordi.
The third season jumps five years and follows the characters beyond high school as they navigate adulthood, with Rue dealing with the fallout of her past.
HBO Max is the only place where you can watch the two previous seasons.
The trailer for the Harry Potter TV series just dropped
Thursday 26 March 2026 15:05 , Alex LeeTo celebrate the launch of HBO Max in the UK, HBO dropped the first teaser trailer for the highly-anticipated Harry Potter TV show, giving fans a first look at the new cast and HBO’s take on the wizarding world,
The teaser trailer includes a first look at the Sorting Hat ceremony, Quidditch and Harry’s arrival at Hogwarts, as well as Nick Frost’s new Hagrid making snow angels on the grounds. Here’s everything you need to know about the Harry Potter TV show.
The Harry Potter TV series will be available on this streaming platform this year
HBO's The Pitt is the thing you should stream first
Thursday 26 March 2026 14:50 , Alex Lee
If there’s one show I’ve been waiting to watch in the UK, it’s The Pitt. It first aired more than a year ago in the US and has picked up award after award at the Golden Globes and Emmys. Set in a struggling Pittsburgh hospital, the medical drama unfolds over a single 15-hour shift, with each episode covering one hour as it follows a team of doctors working under constant pressure.
I’ve got more details on The Pitt in my article below:
Everyone’s talking about The Pitt, and you can finally watch it in the UK
Does HBO Max include TNT Sports in the UK?
Thursday 26 March 2026 14:35 , Alex LeeYes, but not by default.
TNT Sports has moved from Discovery+ to HBO Max, so it’s now the place to watch live sport including the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, Premiership Rugby, UFC, MotoGP and Grand Slam tennis.
However, it isn’t included in standard HBO Max subscriptions. Instead, TNT Sports is sold separately – either as a standalone subscription or as an add-on to an HBO Max plan.
That gives viewers more flexibility. If you only want TV shows and films, you won’t have to pay for sport – and the same goes the other way around if you’re only interested in the sports coverage.
A standalone TNT Sports subscription costs £30.99 per month.
Rugby correspondent Harry Latham-Coyle has more details in his article below:
TNT Sports given new streaming home as HBO Max launches in United Kingdom
What took so long for HBO Max to come to the UK?
Thursday 26 March 2026 14:20 , Alex LeeThe UK was the last country in Europe to get HBO Max following the continent’s rollout, which started with the Nordics in 2021. But what took so long?
Sky has had a long-running exclusive deal with HBO for years. Signed in 2019, it gave Sky the exclusive first-run rights to HBO’s shows in the UK and Ireland via Sky Atlantic.
HBO content was therefore tied exclusively to Sky’s channels and apps, preventing HBO Max from launching in the UK while the agreement was active.
If you wanted to watch HBO shows, your only option was to get a Sky package or subscribe to Now. The deal finally expired in April 2025, and today we can all celebrate the day we finally gained access.
How to get HBO Max on Virgin Media
Thursday 26 March 2026 14:05 , Alex Lee
Unlike Sky, you don’t get HBO Max for free with a Virgin Media subscription. But that doesn’t mean you can’t subscribe through the platform.
If you have a Virgin TV 360 or Stream box, you can access HBO Max by heading to the apps section from your home screen and opening the HBO Max app. From there, you’ll need to sign up and choose a plan.
You can’t get HBO Max if you have an older Virgin V6 or TiVo box either, so keep that in mind.
One nice little perk is that if you already subscribe to TNT Sports with Virgin Media, you’ll be able to watch sports coverage using the HBO Max app at no extra cost once you sign up.
You can get Sky TV, HBO Max, Disney+ and Netflix for just £22 per month
Thursday 26 March 2026 13:50 , Alex LeeNot already a Sky customer? Sky has just launched a new bundle that brings some of the biggest streaming services under one package.
Sky’s new Ultimate TV package starts from £22 per month and includes Sky TV, Netflix, Disney+ and HBO Max in a single subscription. Hayu will also be added later this year. It’s a lot more convenient than subscribing to separate subscriptions and having to swap from app to app.
Steve’s got more details on the Sky Ultimate bundle in his article below:
The streaming wars just went nuclear with Sky’s new £24 “super-bundle”
How to get HBO Max if you already have Sky and Now TV
Thursday 26 March 2026 13:44 , Alex Lee
If you already subscribe to Sky or Now, HBO Max’s basic with ads tier is now included in your TV package for free. and you don’t need a separate subscription.
Now entertainment members automatically get HBO Max (with ads) at no extra cost. HBO’s shows are integrated directly into the Now app, so you can start streaming immediately.
On Sky, HBO Max’s basic with ads tier is included as part of its Sky Ultimate TV packages on Sky Stream, Sky Glass and Sky Q at no extra cos, as well as Sky Q customers with Sky Signature or Sky Entertainment packages.
To access it, head to the HBO Max app via your Sky homepage or use voice search by saying “HBO Max”, then simply follow the on-screen instructions. Content will also appear within the Sky interface.
How to subscribe to HBO Max in the UK
Thursday 26 March 2026 13:22 , Alex LeeThat’s right. After a six-year wait, HBO Max is finally available in the UK and you can subscribe right now. But how much does it cost and how can you sign up?
How much does HBO Max cost in the UK?
HBO Max has four entertainment plans. The cheapest Basic plan costs £4.99 and includes ads, but if you want to watch Warner Bros’ latest theatrical releases, you’ll need to subscribe to the Standard tier or higher. You can also get a subscription just for TNT Sports.
- Basic with Ads: £4.99 per month – Stream on two devices at once, full HD, includes older Warner Bros films (not all films included)
- Standard with Ads: £5.99 per month – Stream on two devices at once, full HD, 30 offline downloads, includes latest Warner Bros theatrical releases
- Standard: £9.99 per month – No adverts. Stream on two devices at once, full HD, 30 offline downloads, includes latest Warner Bros theatrical releases
- Premium: £14.99 per month – No adverts. Stream on four devices at once, 4K Ultra HD with Dolby Atmos where available, 100 offline downloads, includes latest Warner Bros theatrical releases
- TNT Sports plan: £30.99 per month – No HBO content. Includes TNT Sports 1-4, TNT Sports Ultimate, live event feeds and TNT Sports original documentaries, two-device limit
If you’re an Amazon Prime customer, you can also subscribe to HBO Max via Prime Channels – this is the most convenient way to subscribe if you already spend an inordinate amount of time on Amazon Prime Video. Instead of juggling multiple apps, you can watch HBO Max alongside your existing Prime content, with a single bill and the same interface, though you won’t be able to subscribe to the most expensive Premium tier.
